Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter: REVIEW

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (Parkwood/Sony)

For those desperate for yet another hot take from a white male, I’ve got you. First off, and the same is true for any creative artist, Beyoncé doesn’t need anyone’s critical approval. Her artistic vision requires no interlocutor, nor does her success hinge on what the press has to say. In a world where we can be certain that right now, somewhere out there, an AI is being prompted to generate a Slipknot cover of Ricky Martin, the pearl-clutching and pontificating over this country-fied project from one of pop music’s most globally cherished artists is null and void. Here are some subjective observations from a purely appreciative musical perspective:

This album is really fun. Beyoncé, to the surprise of no one who has paid attention to pop culture for the last 25 years, has here penned a number of truly inspired, likely timeless new songs. The covers are a mixed bag. The length of the whole project is a little lofty but an intuitive track skip or two gets things back on the rails. And if anyone is going to go out on a limb and bother having fun making a self-aware mark on Americana, I’d put my moon money on Queen Bey. 8/10 Trial Track: “16 CARRIAGES”

For more on Beyoncé, please visit her website.

This article was originally published in the April 2024 issue of Cult MTL. 

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